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British Charity Rehomes Horses In An Innovative Way; Less Stress For Equines

The COVID-19 pandemic has altered life for many horse owners in Britain, forcing them to relinquish their animals as financial resources to care for them dwindle. Many rescues and adoption centers that assist horses in Britain are full, but they are preparing for an even more difficult winter as job losses continue and finances become tighter.

Blue Cross for Pets is a rehoming organization that helps horses, cats, dogs and other small pets in England, Wales and Scotland. The organization also has animal clinics and hospitals that assist sick and injured pets when their owners are struggling to afford the veterinary fees.

Blue Cross has created a “Home Direct” service to place horses into new homes straight from their current situation, eliminating the need for the horse to be moved more than once. This resource also takes the pressure off charities that may already be struggling and allows them to focus on welfare emergencies.

Blue Cross staff thoroughly assess each horse and then place it on the charity's website to find a new owner. Once a new potential owner is located, Blue Cross arranges and oversees the initial visit and introduction process. If the match is a good one, the horse is taken from its old home directly to its new home, reducing stress on the horse as it acclimates to one new environment instead of two. In each step of the process, the horse is treated as if it were living at a Blue Cross center.

Since its launch in 2015, Blue Cross Home Direct has helped 87 horses. Any horse can be a candidate for Home Direct if it passes a health check and is not on any long-term medications. The goal of Home Direct is to assist horses by finding them new homes while they are still healthy, instead of waiting to offer help when they are potentially in a welfare crisis.

Thus far in 2020, the United States has reported record numbers of equine adoptions, but equine rescue and adoption advocates are unsure if and when a large influx of horses needing help will come because of the pandemic.

Racing NSW Implements End-Of-Life Welfare Program For Thoroughbreds

Racing NSW, the regulating body for Thoroughbred racing in New South Wales, has introduced a new program to ensure that every NSW Thoroughbred in the state has access to humane euthanasia. Created to additionally protect racehorses from being sent to slaughterhouses, the program will pay for the horse's euthanasia, should it be determined that course of action is in the horse's best interest.

Funded by a fee assessed when a Thoroughbred is registered, euthanasia under the program is only permitted when a Racing NSW licensed veterinarian has certified that euthanasia is necessary because of welfare or safety concerns. In addition to euthanasia, Racing NSW will cover the cost of cremation or burial of the horse. Euthanasia and cremation or burial of a horse can be expensive, and possibly deter owners from acting in the horse's best interest.

Specifically designed for any Thoroughbred that has lived predominantly in NSW, the program does not have an age cap for horses it assists. This means that horses that have been retired from racing and are now involved in second careers are also able to be assisted by this program.

This program was created to further strengthen Racing NSW's commitment to the welfare of racehorses throughout their lives. The regulatory body puts aside more than $26 million a year to assist with Thoroughbred welfare programs.

The organization has established a direct retraining and rehoming program for Thoroughbreds, has made it an offense to send a Thoroughbred to a slaughterhouse, has two full-time veterinarians on staff and has multiple other programs and efforts in place to assist Thoroughbreds throughout every life stage.

Read more at The Sydney Morning Herald and at Racing NSW.

The post Racing NSW Implements End-Of-Life Welfare Program For Thoroughbreds appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Shelley Mann Named Executive Director Of Secretariat Center

The Secretariat Center is pleased to welcome the appointment of Shelley Mann as its new Executive Director. With a lifetime of equine experience and more than 18 years in nonprofit leadership driving the advancement of strategic goals, Shelley will take the Secretariat Center's reins beginning September 14.

A long time Bluegrass resident, Shelley most recently served as the Director of Marketing and Communications for The United States Pony Clubs, Inc. In that role, she promoted equine education with a focus on safety, health and management by putting educational and leadership resource in homes, schools and barns.

“I am thrilled to be joining the Secretariat Center team,” says Shelley. “The care and placement of retired racehorses and providing these equine athletes a second career is something I am deeply passionate about. I look forward to utilizing my background in marketing, education and resource development to expand community outreach and share the Center's mission with equine enthusiasts across the United States.”

“We are very excited to have Shelley join the Secretariat Center team, and I look forward to seeing her promote our mission and new strategic plan going forward,” said Secretariat Center President Dr. Holly Schmitt. “She has dedicated much of her professional career to understanding equine health and to supporting community programs. Her experience and skills will be crucial to promoting this organization as the gold standard in Thoroughbred retraining.”

The Secretariat Center was founded in 2004 as a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization to prepare off-track Thoroughbreds for happy, healthy, and successful post-track careers through rehabilitation and by giving them a broad-based foundation of skills to ensure a harmonious match with their adopters. While advocating for the athleticism and versatility of the American Thoroughbred, The Secretariat Center also seeks to provide educational opportunities for human development through horsemanship. Located in the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky, the Secretariat Center showcases adoptable Thoroughbreds and uses its illustrious location to herald the athleticism of this amazing breed by teaching new skill sets to horses of all levels of ability. Visit www.secretariatcenter.org to find your next partner, make a donation or get involved today.

For more information contact Secretariat Center at 859-246-3080 or info@secretariatcenter.org.

The post Shelley Mann Named Executive Director Of Secretariat Center appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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New Zealand Thoroughbreds Now Required To Have ‘Accountable Person’ For Increased Traceability

In an effort to improve traceability of the Thoroughbred racing and breeding populations in New Zealand, the country has released new rules to ensure that retiring racehorses are placed in appropriate homes. To enforce this, all horses are now required to have an “accountable person” who is responsible for informing NZ Thoroughbred Racing (NZTR) of the death, retirement from racing or breeding of a horse in their care. This person can be an owner, manager, trainer or other person responsible for the horse's care.

If the horse is to be retired, this accountable person must ensure that the horse is given or sold to a person with an adequate working knowledge of Thoroughbreds and must provide the NZTR with the new owner's contact details. NZTR has been following up with the owners of registered horses that are listed as inactive on its website.

Additionally, the window in which an owner is required to report a foal's birth has been shortened from 6 months to 30 days. This can be done electronically and there is no fee.